Waking up is the HARDEST thing ever! And it’s not because I hate work or hate the mornings. I just absolutely love being in bed. BUTTT it’s the real world and I need to get my ass up –normally by 6am.

I used to be super unhealthy {in the mornings}. I would either skip breakfast because I didn’t think I had the time or I would run to Starbucks, grab one of those high sodium, low fat breakfast sandwiches and an unnecessarily expensive latte.

Taking five minutes out of your normal morning might seem dreadful {trust me, sometimes it is} but you need to learn to prioritize your needs and your health first. I want to wake up every day being my best self, and that means treating my body with a form of self respect aka eating well and nourishing myself. So no- I am not saying to make a LAVISH breakfast, but yes, I am saying to take 5 maybe 10 minutes to sit down and enjoy this meal. I know it’s SOOOO cliche- but the reality is, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

So here are some healthy & convenient breakfast options I generally eat:

The above photo above ^^ avocado toast- my favorite meal EVER. You guys- toast a piece of bread, smash an avocado on it and throw on extra toppings {above: jicima, tomato and chia seeds}. This breakfast took three minutes it is loaded in healthy fats, fiber vitamins and protein.

Scramble an egg. Seriously it takes five minutes. I throw in whatever vegetables I have hanging around, chop up a fruit and make tea- done. Another delicious five second breakfast.

Yogurt. Siggis yogurt happens to be my favorite because it has no added junk including sugars. Right here, I sliced up some fruit, added chia and goji berries which kept me full for a solid 3-4 hours. Plus yogurt contains gut friendly probiotics. Perfect if you had a cheat meal the night before or were out drinking.

Eat your breakfast. It’s good for you and delicious! Seriously YOU are worthy of it!

September is my favorite month! It is still warm out & all of the Fall-y thinks start to trickle in. This includes fruits and vegetables ♥ And pomegranate just happens to be my FAVORITE fall fruit. Not only is it delicious and oddly fun to eat but pomegranates are packed with antioxidants and vitamins. As always, I like my food as close to the source as possible. So although POM juice has been really popular for awhile and has tons of health food claims- I will always recommend to eat the fruit straight from the source! {Added bonus: when eating the pomegranate vs drinking it’s juice you get tons of health fiber} Although I’m not a fan of POM – I tried this Nativas Naturalpomegranate powder which is just dehydrates pomegranates and it’s pretty good! It is not a replacement to the fruit – but it gives an extra antioxidant rich punch to smoothies and yogurt.

This smoothie {Place all ingredients in the blender and blend for 1 minute}

Hello September!!! I am it such disbelief that the summer is almost over!!

Today I want to chat about protein. UGH- so the most frustrating thing for me is the protein shake and bar market. I would say about 75% of anything that is marketed to gym-goers is all crap! Fake ingredient- false claim crap! When it comes to protein- something that is supposed to be super good for us-aim for high quality sources- look at the ingredients, make sure you are consuming REAL food. I have actually boycotted protein powder for forever- but I came across ALOHA which actually has legit ingredients like pumpkin seed and hemp seed protein. Other great sources of protein are nuts and seeds! Chia, hemp, pumpkin, walnuts, almonds! All of these go great in smoothies and protein bites. Because I avoid the protein market all together (aside for ALOHA) I make my own smoothies and protein bites.

Okay so this delicious dessert is raw, VEGAN, low calorie, nutrient dense and only five ingredients!! Literally the best dessert // breakfast ever!

♥ 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

♥ 1 Tbsp PB2 powder

♥ 1 Tbsp Raw Cocoa Powder

♥ 1 Tsp Hemp Hearts

♥ 1/2 Banana

♥ 4-6 ounces of water

Directions: Blend all of the above ingredients into a blender or food processor. Refrigerate overnight until it’s a thick consistency. Enjoy 🙂

Why this pudding is the shit: Well aside from it being raw and vegan it is also SUPER healthy. Chia seeds are packed with fiber and protein. Hemp hearts are rich in essential fatty acids and pack anti-inflammatory benefits! This dessert will keep you really full and is the perfect replacement for ice-cream!

Giveaway time: Have you tried hemp seeds yet?? Head on over to my Instagram {{@sweatandglow}} — I have teamed up with Manitoba Harvest to give away a bag of hemp seeds!

Happy almost weekend! Yesterday I made my own tea and it was AMAZING! I have been reading a lot about the health benefits of turmeric but I have been in NOO mood to cook–especially not pot of curry—-I mean it is ten thousand degrees out! So instead I made my own turmeric tea! This recipe is literally sooo good. If you aren’t craving hot tea- make a big batch of it and put it in the fridge for some iced-tea! psssst….This turmeric tea with a splash of full-fat coconut milk—amazeballlls.

So why turmeric? Here are a few of it’s benefits:

♥ It fights inflammation and swelling…like big time, in fact turmeric in comparable to Advil

♥ Turmeric contains the compound curcumin which is a major antioxidant

♥ Fights depressions (in fact, a study showed it may be as affective as Prozac)

♥ Lowers blood cholesterol levels

♥ Great for our skin due to it’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties

Turmeric – Ginger Tea:

2 tsp fresh ginger- grated

2 tsp grated turmeric

1 tsp grated lemongrass

Place all the above ingredients in a tea steeper or tea-bag. Steep in hot water for 5 minutes. Optional: Add in a little raw honey or lemon.

I haven’t posted in a while-so I wanted to do a little recap as this week was full of excitement! Now that this blog is sort of on a role- I feel like I have had so many exciting opportunities come up!

♥ Do you follow me on Instagram? If you don’t–you should! I am starting to partner with a few brands and will be posting tons of giveaways! This week, I did a giveaway for a three day juice cleanse hosted by Raw Generation…and let me tell you..there juices are DELICIOUS! Comment below if you want a discount code to there juice!!

♥ I have also been practicing yoga more…and am in the hunt for a hot-yoga class near me! If anyone lives in the Philadelphia area—pleaseeee let me know where you do hot yoga 🙂 🙂

♥ A little mid-week champs didn’t hurt… #BitchesLoveRose 🙂

♥ ANDD some fruit- I have been LOADING up on fruit this summer…more so than usual. P.S…this fruit is paired with Siggis Yogurt…Have you tried it yet? Literally the only yogurt I will eat!

Today reached 90 degrees and I was craving ALL things summery. I never crave heavy food in the heat- is anyone else like that? Bring on the iced tea and the fresh fruits and vegetables.

One of my summer must haves: Coconut Water! ♥

Harmless Harvest Coconut Water is my newest ADDICTION! I never understood the coconut water fad. I mean- drinking out of a coconut on an island sounds pretty bomb- but the cartons of coconut water always grossed me out. AND recently I found out they did for a good reason! Brands like Zico & Vita Coco are heated at a high temperature killing off all of the nutrients and the delicious taste. This brand- Harmless Harvest is completely raw, organic and literally the most delicious water ever. I am craving it now just typing about it…and I had one earlier today! Coconut water is super hydrating and gives you a little bit of natural sugar- which is GOOD, especially after a work out.

♥ Coconut water has many other health benefits:

♥ It contains 13% of your daily potassium in just one cup!

♥ It contains 14% magnesium (the anti-stress, anti-anxiety mineral!)…I will chat about this one later 😉

♥ It is full of antioxidants- especially this brand! Sometimes you even get pink water which is naturally occurring due to it’s antioxidant properties

Not something you hear out of a lot of nutritionist mouths I bet? Even more scandalous…I LOVE butter.

Our bodies need fat. Fat absorbs nutrients *cough* fat soluble vitamins anyone?? Plus fat gives us nine calories per gram- aka a whole lot of energy. Fat got a really bad reputation in the 80’s saying it causes heart disease and obesity- but that is not the problem. SUGAR causes obesity, diabetes and heart problems. This is why I eat a high fat diet, low sugar. I of course treat myself, but in general- when I read a label on the back of a package- I NEVER look at how much fat is in it- I look at the quality of the ingredients and the SUGAR content. So bring on the full fat yogurt. Sugar causes inflammation- not fat.

That being said- not all fats are the same. Yes I said I love butter, but I will continously support it-I buy organic butter where the only ingredients are cream and salt. I will never ever buy margarine or anything that is artificially made.

Here are some fats that I eat:

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Manna/Organic Butter

Almonds + nuts + nut butter

Avocado + olives

EGGS <3 <3 <3 (never EVER just eat egg whites)

Full fat yogurt (ALWAYS check the sugar in yogurt- milk naturally has some sugar, but it should never have more than 10 grams)

3. A big ass plate of veggies! I don’t care if it’s a fresh salad for lunch of grilled vegetables with dinner- but if I don’t eat veggies during the day- I SWEAR I notice a difference. (Less energy, icky skin the next day)